A/N- I know it's been a very long time since I updated... I've been so busy lately and I'm going to be even more busy in the next couple of months. Ihave my final exams soon and they're going to consume most of my time but fear not! I will still update and continue fic work when I'm not revising and stuff. Anyway, sorry again about the delay and enjoy this chapter, and than you for being patient!

Chapter 4: Reflecting on the Past

As the sunset fell upon the kingdom of Wu the local villagers were heading to their homes ready to rest for the night. Boats were being tied up on the coast and animals were being locked up in their pens and barns by their owners. All in all it was set to be a quiet evening but they hadn't yet felt the loss of the vivacious Wu princess. For them it was just a normal day- some had heard about the departure of Sun Shang Xiang but the celebrations wouldn't get underway until news arrived from the Shu kingdom that she and Liu Bei had been united in marriage. It was just a matter of waiting for that news to arrive and until then life would proceed as usual. If only it was like that in the castle…

Xiao Qiao carefully crept along the corridor leading to her destination. She was always looking behind her, constantly making sure that she wasn't being followed. It was already quite quiet in the castle and she knew that everyone would notice even the slightest noise. Since Sun Shang Xiang had left it had been significantly quieter and it had been felt by everyone- Xiao wondered how she'd cope without her friend. Could she? She honestly didn't know. She slowly approached the door she had been heading to and placed her hand on the golden handle. She gave it a little twist and opened it slowly. The hinges squeaked a bit so to avoid making more noise Xiao squeezed her slim figure through the small gap she had created, closing the door behind her when she was finally in.

The room was exactly how it was before- various types of weapons hung on the wall, the red and gold décor, and the large portrait of the Sun family. Yes, Shang Xiang had made her room as cosy and comfortable as possible and that was one of the main reasons as to why Xiao would always enjoy going there. As soon as she entered the bedroom Xiao felt calm. Just being near Shang's possessions made her feel better. As she walked towards the large bed she picked up a pair of older chakrams and took them with her. Xiao sat on the soft duvet as she held the bladed weapons in her hands and admired them.

She herself had never been a great fan of such weapons and much preferred her twin fans, but she was still grateful that Shang had taught her about the different types before she had chosen. If anyone was good at advising about weapons it was Sun Shang Xiang. Xiao had admired the Wu princess' weaponry skills when she had first arrived in Wu with her sister, Da, and her inquisitive nature made her ask the girl about why she had chosen such a dangerous hobby. Since then Shang had made it her mission do 'de-feminise' the younger Qiao, trying to encourage her to practice using a weapon. In the end Xiao had chosen a pair of battle fans- not because they were practical, but because they 'looked nice and were in pretty colours'. She sighed as she ran her finger along the flat side of the blade, trying to imagine how Shang Xiang must be feeling. If I'm like this/ishe thought, Shang must be a lot worse…

A gentle breeze blew through the room, causing the curtains to sweep upwards into the air revealing the balcony outside. Xiao Qiao looked in that direction and could see a vague silhouette standing there. She placed the chakrams on the bed and stood up ready to go over. She had no idea who it was- was it someone who had sneaked their way into the castle? She thought briefly about taking the weapons with her for defence but she knew that the castle security was tight as always. Xiao tread lightly across the deep rug as she made her way there, careful not to scare whoever it was.

"It's alright Xiao- I know you're there. Please, come and join me."

She relaxed on hearing the deep and comforting voice of Sun Jian, so she moved some of the curtain to one side and stood outside to join him. They both stood there, gazing out at the sunset over the horizon.

"I take it that you miss her too?" he said after a few moments of silence.

"Yes I do," she replied, still looking outwards. "She's my best friend- she's like a younger sister to me and I don't know how I can cope without her. I love being here in Wu and since I came here she's made me feel so welcome. And now she's gone…"

"I know how you feel. I hope she's alright…" Jian sighed. "I feel as if I've let her down in some way… have I been a terrible father?"

"Of course not Sun Jian! You've been the best father to her and you know that!"

"I suppose, but I can't forgive myself for sending her away! She probably hates me for going ahead with Zhou Yu's plans. She didn't say anything but I know my little girl. She hates me…"

"She does not hate you! She loves you and didn't want to show how much she missed everyone. You know what she's like. She doesn't like crying publicly." Xiao put a hand on Sun Jian's arm. "She was probably too upset to display any emotion."

"I hope so…" Sun Jian crossed his arms and looked down, trying to hide the fact that he, a fully grown man, felt so upset he was about to shed a tear. "So what brings you here Xiao?"

Xiao moved her arm away and started to fiddle with her waist ribbon. "I wanted to be near Shang, and her room was where I liked to hang out with her. I feel her presence in the room because I'm so used to her being in there. I was just holding a pair of her chakrams and trying to imagine how she's feeling. I'm no good at empathy but I know she must be pretty bad. I just wish I could've gone with her, but I wouldn't settle in Shu and Da wouldn't let me go."

"I know you wanted to go, but that's not part of Zhou Yu's plan. It was just Shang Xiang who was meant to go. I just hope it works out for the best…"

"Do you think that Liu Bei can love her?"

Sun Jian lifted his head up and looked at the young woman. "I honestly don't know. I want her to find love so much- she deserves it. I don't know Liu Bei well enough to know what he's really like, but I also don't know whether or not Shang Xiang is capable of loving someone. She's never shown that side of herself before." He sighed again. "Only time will tell…"

At the large dinner table in the Wu castle dining hall all of the generals sat down ready eat- each one of them was silent. It was hard to say anything at that point. One of the key members of the castle had left them and it was hard to go through the day without her. It was as if they expected Shang Xiang's voice to laugh in conversation as it usually did, or make a funny comment and make everyone else laugh.

Sun Ce, near the head of the table, looked down the row of generals. They all looked unhappy, but could he really blame them? He was missing his sister too and it wasn't as if he wasn't as miserable as they were… He also noticed how empty the table seemed. His father Sun Jian wasn't in his normal head seat but Ce expected that he wanted some time to himself. He also noticed that his sister-in-law, Xiao, wasn't in her seat either, and neither were Gan Ning or Lu Xun. Da had told him that Xiao was probably being upset in her room, but that didn't explain where Ning and Xun were. He guessed that Ning was probably out drinking and Xun was studying somewhere…

Just as he was going to say something to he silent party the main door opened and Sun Jian entered, closely followed by Xiao Qiao. Jian took his seat and Xiao went to sit in hers, which was now Shang's old seat next to Sun Quan. Xiao looked down at the table and felt a bit awkward. She didn't want to seem like a replacement to Shang Xiang as she knew she'd be a poor one.

Sun Jian stood up from where he sat and began to speak. "Good evening everyone. I just wanted to say that I know the next few days, possibly weeks, will be hard. We're all pretty much used to seeing Sun Shang Xiang around and it will take some time getting used to the fact that she's not here. All we can do is try and cope the best we can and wish her the best of luck for her future. Are they any questions you'd like to ask before we eat?"

There was a brief silence before a hand shot up. It was Zhou Tai's.

"Yes Zhou Tai?"

"Do we know when we'll find out about the marriage?"

Sun Jian nodded. "Once she is married to Liu Bei, Shu will send a messenger to inform us of how everything went and to confirm the marriage. Are there any more questions?" He looked down the table and Lu Meng's hand was raised in the air. Jian nodded towards him.

"This may be completely unrelated," Meng started, "but does anyone know where Gan Ning and Lu Xun are? I haven't seen them for a while…"

"I did see Lu Xun hurry off somewhere," answered Sun Quan. "I didn't stop him because I assumed it was something important and didn't want to get in his way. I don't know about Gan Ning… have you tried his boat? He might be there fishing quietly. I know he misses Shang Xiang… I've never seen him so quiet before."

"I think everyone will be quiet for a while," said Jian. "It will just take some getting used too. Now, I think we're all hungry- let's eat. We'll talk afterwards."

When he sat down all of the generals started to get food from the middle of the table and begin to eat their evening meal. It was so silent that they could actually hear each other eating. This wasn't normal as usually the sound of chewing and drinking was drowned out by the sound of lively chatter. Where was all of Wu's energy?

Zhou Yu looked up nervously from where he sat to the Sun family portrait that was on the wall in front of him and behind Huang Gai. He looked at it closely, and at the way the four members were standing. They looked so happy, all together as one close knit family unit. But now this wasn't the case. Yu was sure that if that portrait was to be redone then the expressions would be so much different. What made him feel most awkward was the expression of the painted Shang Xiang. Her bright beaming smile and her eyes sparkling as she knelt in front of her father… she looked so content and happy, and Zhou Yu felt as if he'd erased her happiness. Now that he'd heard what Xiao had to say he felt bad about the whole situation, and it was too late to change it.

"Is something up Zhou Yu?"

Yu turned his head to Lu Meng, who was waiting for a response. "I'll be alright really. I just need to get back to my work and get my mind off of everything that's happened. I always seem to cope best when I have some kind of work to do."

Meng nodded and sipped some of his wine. "I always find that a walk helps me deal with my problems. Or maybe you should just take a break from it all. I've seen how hard you work and any normal person would take a break."

"I don't know… it's important that I stay focused. Between now and when we get the Jing province is very crucial. We need this to work…"

"I understand Yu, but don't work yourself up about it. If ever you feel as if you've got too much work to do just hand it over to either myself or Lu Xun. You know how much Xun wants to be a strategist. He looks up to you and will be grateful to have something to do."

"Yes… but where is he? If he was studying, wouldn't he be here and eating with us? It's not usual for him to go away somewhere without telling any of us first."

Lu Meng shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea but I suspect he'll be back in the castle before it gets dark. He knows best than to worry everyone." Meng knew that Xun was alright. If anything was ever wrong Lu Xun would always go to him for advice. He liked to look out for the young man and make sure that there nothing was worrying him, and also to check that Gan Ning's influence wasn't rubbing off onto him. Sure Xun was a smart man and his intelligence was often compared to that of Zhou Yu's so he knew better than to end up in danger. But where was he? And where was Gan Ning? Meng looked at the empty seats and sighed. It just wasn't like them to leave without notice. It was a good thing that he had no idea what was going on…